Honda NSX supercar to return

After the Honda NSX stopped rolling off the production line in 2005 Honda have been continually avoiding questions from the press about whether the all-aluminium, mid-engined, 3.2-litre coupé would ever hit our streets again. In a recent interview CEO Takanobu Ito hinted that the NSX is to return “We are now at a point where we can consider the next generation of electric and hybrid vehicles. It would be an interesting project – electric or hybrid vehicles can be fun as well as economical.”

Expect the new version to feature a mid-mounted 3.7-litre VTEC V6 engine powering the rear wheels and a electric motor inside each front wheel for a grand total of at least 300kW at suitably stratospheric revs with loads of torque. It will also feature a all aluminium body which will keep the overall weight down and a plug-in charge point so that the NSX can be used as a zero-emission, pure electric vehicle for short round-town trips.

Insiders say that a ‘close-to-production’ prototype, possibly the one that Robert Downey Jr. drives in the new ‘Avengers’ movie, will be shown at this year’s Tokyo motor show in November with a possible production date in 2012 and a launch in 2013.